Photos: Vote count begins in Zimbabwe’s first post-Mugabe election

Jul 31, 2018 14:49 IST

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Zimbabwean electoral officials began counting ballots in the first vote of the post-Robert Mugabe era that opinion polls show is too close to call. The front-runners for the presidency are the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, Mugabe’s one-time deputy and successor, and his main rival Nelson Chamisa, 40, a lawyer and church pastor who heads the Movement for Democratic Change. (Alex Mcbridge / AFP)

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People line up to vote at the Fitchela primary school in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe. Officials overseeing the polls, in which a record number of candidates stood, said many polling stations had queues and estimated that average turnout was around 75 percent by Monday evening. (Jerome Delay / AP)

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Previously-banned European Union election observers, present for the first time in years, said participation appeared high but warned of possible “shortcomings” in the vote. With 5.6 million registered voters, the results of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are due by August 4. (Luis Tato / AFP)

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A man casts his ballot in a polling station located in the suburb of Mbare in Zimbabwe's capital Harare. Voting appeared to pass off largely without incident despite the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warning of intimidation and threats of violence in the run-up to polling day. (Luis Tato / AFP)

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Mugabe, 94, who was ousted by the military in November, voted at his customary polling station in Harare alongside his wife Grace after a surprise two-hour press conference at his home on Sunday when he called for voters to reject ZANU-PF. (Siphiwe Sibeko / REUTERS)

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Nelson Chamisa, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), center, arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in the Kuwadzana township, in Harare, Zimbabwe. “We should be very clear as to an emphatic voice for change, the new, and the young -- I represent that,” Chamisa said as he voted, surrounded by vocal supporters. (Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg)

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa leaves the polling station after casting his vote. Mnangagwa said on Tuesday that the ruling party was receiving “extremely positive” information from their representatives. Western diplomats and local observer groups said the race, which saw a turnout of 75 percent, was too close to call. (Jerome Delay / AP)

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An electoral worker empties a presidential candidates ballot box onto a table during counting operations. The winner faces the task of putting Zimbabwe back on track after 37 years under Mugabe which were tainted by corruption, mismanagement and diplomatic isolation that caused a crisis in a country that once had one of Africa’s most promising economies. (Marco Longari / AFP)

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Vote counting starts at a polling station in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. “If this guy loses there is no way they will handover power,” said Gift Machekera, pointing at a huge banner of Mnangagwa hanging on a building in Harare. “Those who have the guns have the power. This is Africa,” added Machekera. (Jerome Delay / AP)

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A police officer keeps vigil during the general elections in Harare, Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa was viewed as the frontrunner, although the latest opinion polls showed a tight race. There will be a runoff on Sept. 8 if no candidate wins more than half the votes. (Siphiwe Sibeko / REUTERS)

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Long lines of enthusiastic voters formed at polling stations on the outskirts of Harare, the capital, before voting began at 7 a.m., following a peaceful campaign without the widespread violence, intimidation and fraud of previous elections. Election observers from Europe and the United States, long barred by Mugabe, joined local organizations in monitoring the vote. With 5.6 million registered voters, the results of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are due by August 4.